EVMS researchers dig into possible autism treatment

NORFOLK — Eastern Virginia Medical School researchers are investigating a potential treatment for social impairment, a trait of autism spectrum disorders.

Autism spectrum disorders encompass a variety of developmental disabilities that cause problems with social interaction and communication and delays or problems in learning skills that develop from infancy to adulthood.

People with autism spectrum disorders are often disinterested in social interaction or find it unpleasant, said Dr. Stephen I. Deutsch, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.

"Sadly, persons with autism spectrum diorders are often painfully aware of their limited sociability, which can lead to profound feelings of sadness and frustration," he said.

Through his research, Deutsch discovered a strain of mice, called Balb/c, that moves as far away as possible from other mice and does not interact as normal mice do — just as people with autism may avoid making social contact with other people.

Previous research had shown that a tuberculosis drug called D-Cycloserine changed social behavior, so he tested the drug on the mice. After receiving a dose, the mice behaved as a normal mouse would in the presence of another mouse.

The next step is enrolling people with autism in a clinical trial of the drug.

The researchers received a grant from the Hampton Roads Foundation to fund the study, which awaits approval by EVMS, said Dr. Maria R. Urbano, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. The study will enroll 30 young adults, ages 14 to 25, who have autism and are able to express themselves. They will undergo a series of screenings before taking the medication for eight weeks. Then they'll repeat the screenings.

"They'll be able to describe to us what they're feeling and changes in how they're feeling," Urbano said. "The goal is that they would be more social. For this age group, this is very important. They're beginning to focus on more interaction on an independent level with peers, and then getting a job. Most of these kids have enough intelligence to get a job, but their social deficits prvent them from being successful."

Roughly one in every 110 children is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined, according to Autism Speaks, an advocacy group. It occurs four or five times more often in boys than in girls, and it's estimated that one out of 70 boys in the U.S. is diagnosed with autism.